Secretary of State John Blinken and Secretary of Defense John Austin arrive in South Korea on Wednesday for 2+2 talks between the U.S. and South Korea. Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, made remarks threatening the Biden administration. The U.S. and U.S. officials are focusing on whether the U.S.-South Korea meeting will ease the stalemate on the Korean Peninsula.
The U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken and Secretary of Defense John Austin ended their visit to Japan and arrived in South Korea on the 17th. The U.S. Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense have visited South Korea again since July 2010.
The U.S.-Korea alliance is strong, so let’s work together to combat today’s global challenges, from the New Coronavirus to the climate crisis to nuclear proliferation,” Blinken tweeted.
On the day of Blinken and Austin’s trip to Japan, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sibling, Kim Yo Jong, criticized the joint South Korean-U.S. military exercises and also warned the Biden Administration that “if you want to sleep soundly for the next four years, you better not start causing trouble in the first place.” It even threatened to tear up the relevant military agreement signed between South Korea and North Korea in 2018.
In response, U.S. White House spokeswoman Sharkey 16 said the White House had no direct comment or response to North Korea’s remarks.
On the 18th, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin, will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister Seo Wook, for 2+2 talks. This is the second Time in four years after the 2016 U.S.-South Korea 2+2 talks in Washington.
The two sides will reportedly focus on topics such as South Korea-U.S. relations and cooperation, the Korean Peninsula, and North Korea’s nuclear weapons. Afterwards, Blinken and Austin will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
After the visit to South Korea, Austin will travel to Delhi, India, to meet with Indian Defense Minister Singh.
Blinken will return to the United States to meet with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Alaska. This is the first high-level U.S.-China meeting since the Biden administration took office.
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